Lamond Murray made a 3-pointer after Cleveland inbounded the ball with just 0.5 seconds left on the clock, giving the Cavaliers a 100-97 win Tuesday night over the New Jersey Nets.

"I asked them before the play," Kidd said. "They told me exactly that he has to face the basket. That's the only way they can catch and shoot. Lamond wasn't facing the basket."

Murray simply shrugged his shoulders and said: "That's basketball. It felt good when I shot. As it got close to the rim, I knew it was."

Nets president Rod Thorn, who helped write NBA rules while spending 14 years as a league executive, disagreed.

"Obviously it was late," Thorn said. "When you catch the ball sideways, it is impossible to do that (score). That is just absolutely unbelievable. It has nothing to do with the clock, it is the referees' decision about when the clock gets turned on."

Referees Leon Wood, Joe Forte and Bennie Adams declined to comment. All three wore belt packs that can activate the clock when a button is pushed. Television replays showed Murray releasing the ball before the clock reached zero.